And Here You Are With Me
by greyrondo
Summary: Ryou Misaki encounters Kaoru Ichinose offline when crisis strikes, but he is too fixated with Endrance's behavior online to see what is in front of him. HaseoxEndrance.
1. Offline

After Wilted Rose, I wanted to revisit Haseo and Endrance. Split between offline and online, can Haseo uncover the real reason that Endrance abandoned him when he needed Endrance the most? Please read and review!!

And of course, the .hack Conglomerate does not belong to me.

Chapter 1: Offline

It was always hard, adjusting from one World to its neighbor. Ryou found himself time and time again startled why the face in the mirror was not the jolt of white hair over a crimson-tattooed face, or why he could not just pull up a menu when the urge to talk to someone came over him.

That was the hardest, actually. Knowing that he was alone and that someone would not always be there to be with him, talk to him, or even humor him. For all his adamant proclamations of his independence, he was just as addicted to the constant flow of communication from one person to the next, as any other individual.

He had not been able to visit Shino in the hospital for several days now. He didn't think it was right to sit by her side when his only thoughts were fixated on someone else.

_Endrance, you…_ Ryou count think of countless words to finish that sentence. But he was too confused to decide on a single one. _What are you trying to pull??_

The clack of metal, the shuffle of bodies along the stuffy tracks. The ultimate paradox that proved how desperately different Ryou's world was from Haseo's, the place where people were as close to each other as in The World but would do nothing to suggest that the same beings who rode the cars were capable of communicating as freely as in that alternate reality.

He looked at the tired uniforms that strung themselves along the subway car, not one head turned towards the next. People held up their cell phones like masks at a ball, but the props for this masquerade were only to barricade away the fellow participants, not entice them to conversation.

And of course, there he was anyways, as silent as anyone else. Ryou gazed tiredly at his fellow passengers in the narrow car, expertly keeping his glance from being apparent. But he thought there was one he recognized.

It was a young man whose fashionably—or sickly—thin build that was so alarming, or that long hair that reminded him of someone. He had the oddest sensation that he was looking at someone he knew, but that of course was impossible. He had not even seen this young man before on the route, hadn't he?

And then it struck him. That young man was Kaoru Ichinose, the avant-garde graphic designer that had appeared out of nowhere not two months ago. The design industry and news stations had practically fallen in love with his looks—both that of his work and his own. Apparently he had returned to school after defeating a resilient bout of depression, and had been 'discovered' immediately. Or whatever the details were, Ryou thought. There was, though, something definitely different about him.

Ryou realized that it was because the young man was the only person besides himself not affixed to some sort of technological device. It wouldn't have mattered if the young man had been screening his surroundings away with headphones or a cell or, even, one of those portable headsets that unbelievably allowed people to take their personal virtual world with them when they needed to venture into the commonly-exchanged air.

But a young man open to his surroundings in the real world was as strange as a loner in The World that sealed himself off.

Ryou closed his eyes and leaned his head against the metal pole he used to support his balance as the train raced down the tracks. If he were in The World, he could even have the game's best-loved loner at his summons. It was something that he missed in real life. And now it was something he missed desperately in that loving illusion he plugged himself into every few hours.

Endrance.

He told himself to be angry, to feel betrayed. But he only felt like the betrayer. What had he done to make Endrance abandon him? What had slipped from his mouth, what careless comment had severed the always-delicate bond he had to the aloof Blade Brandier?

Ryou knew his addiction, and Endrance had slaked it perfectly.

And then in that instant he knew why he was musing so bitterly about his fellow passengers. He begrudged them their cell phone conversations, of all things, because it was one more connection to a human being those strangers had, that he didn't. He even disliked Kaoru Ichinose off in his corner, because that young man seemed perfectly content to sit there in his own confident quietness.

And then he looked up, suddenly, searching for a sound. It had caught him in a strange simultaneous lull in the collective but separate conversations. Musical and brief, almost like a chime. AIDA? It couldn't be. But that tone was enough to send a flicker through his heart.

The train. He needed to get off of the train, if what the overhead speakers had told him was true. They claimed technical difficulties—and requested forgiveness for the inconvenience—and the crowd was even now, before directions had been given, pushing him to what it had judged was safety.

"Technical difficulties? I don't believe that for a second," he muttered so that no one could hear him. He had heard the sound again, stark like a tuning fork struck.

There was a great iron shudder that grated into his ears, and the car shook him off of his feet. Ryou scrambled for the ground, but another shudder jarred with his uncertain balance. The last thing he saw was the metal pole he had been leaning on, too close to his sight to be painless. And then he blacked out.


	2. Logging In

Chapter 2: Logging In

"You need to open your eyes," a subdued but urgent voice insisted.

For a moment, Ryou believed he was logged into The World. The voice was certainly familiar enough, even though its words were out of place.

Then he opened his eyes and was greeted with darkness. Darkness and a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. His head throbbed with annoying, but thankfully manageable, pain.

"Wha—" Ryou stammered, eyes groping for some purchase in the dark. He found the subtle shape of shoulders and long hair shadowing a young man's face. It was the designer, Kaoru Ichinose, from the train. But Ryou wasn't on the train; what had happened?

The designer seemed to know his question without Ryou speaking a word. "When the train stopped suddenly, you fell and hit your head. Everyone is off, but officials are holding them at the station's waiting area. Apparently it's no safer outside than it is inside. Thankfully no one saw you fall, or they would wonder why you weren't there."

Ryou blinked. "Why aren't we there?"

The young man paused. "I know you heard AIDA's tone. I saw your face; I heard it too. You seemed like someone who would not want to be trapped with everyone else, not knowing anything, not when The World is the cause. Oh… I'm Kaoru Ichinose."

"I thought I recognized you," Ryou answered. "My name is Ryou Misaki. So you know enough about The World to recognize the sound of AIDA?"

Kaoru Ichinose nodded. "AIDA… is a concern that many of those who know are fixated upon. I want to…" he began, but stopped for a moment more to think. "I want to know where it's coming from. Everything has been locked down around here in the few minutes you were unconscious, but if we can find a PC then perhaps I can see what's going on inside The World…"

Ryou nodded. "So where are we exactly in the subway complex?"

"We're very close to the station… and there should be offices of some sort nearby…"

Ryou nodded. "Or at least underground facilities that can lead us to some. What's going on right now? I mean, out in the real world."

Kaoru Ichinose was quiet for a moment. "Ah, how to describe it," he said. "Do you remember what happened during the Twilight?"

Ryou was quiet. He remembered the stark panels of hospital lights, the shadowy faces of people he did not know staring down at him. The sensation of taking his waking breaths through an oxygen mask. Nothing about what was happening outside, and nothing from before.

But he had seen news reports, and knew what Kaoru Ichinose meant. Ryou nodded, knowing that it meant the situation was bad indeed.

"We should get going," Ryou then decided. He stood up quickly, too quickly. His head injury demanded that he slow down for a painful instant, but then he regained his bearings.

He took in his surroundings. Concrete all around, but off to the side only a few paces away there was a doorway that looked more promising than a maintenance door. It looked as if it would lead them somewhere.

"Wait," Kaoru Ichinose insisted.

"What is it?"

"Are you… sure you're all right? That you aren't going to harm yourself more, with that injury?"

Ryou froze for a moment.

"Can you hear me?" Kaoru Ichinose asked, and Ryou snapped out of reverie and nodded his head.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You just reminded me of somebody for a moment. I'll be fine. I think we should try that door," he gestured, "over there. Coming?"

"Of course," Kaoru Ichinose replied. But when they came to it, there was a problem.

Ryou attempted to open it. He knew that it would not just let him in, but after noting a locking device on an electronic wall panel, he realized that their plan to find a PC would take a little more expertise than he had arrogantly assumed.

"It's locked," Kaoru Ichinose sighed. "If you would let me see it…" he hesitantly offered.

Ryou simply stood by and watched as the designer tapped in a long code and a few commands, effectively overriding the system with about as much time as it took for Ryou to step aside.

"What are you, a burglar?" Ryou said, astounded.

That made Kaoru Ichinose smile ever so slightly. "I… think I could be called a hacker… of sorts," he amended. "We should probably go. In case there are people inside… the less time we spend skulking about, the better."

As they walked down a bland hallway lit in shades of dismal greys with emergency lights, Ryou wondered just how close to the inner workings of The World this Kaoru Ichinose was. Unfortunately, the star-struck bios that the media offered gave Ryou no insight as to an answer.

"So… what do you plan to do when you get to a PC and log in?" Ryou said and wondered at that moment if he should offer to get online instead. Project G.U. was top-secret and compromised with the current crisis involving Sakaki's presence. But his contacts with Pi and Kuhn would certainly be better than any Kaoru Ichinose would be relying on.

So he was surprised with Kaoru Ichinose's answer.

"Even more specific than AIDA," he replied quietly, "I believe that if I had a few minutes online I could understand exactly what's going on. And then the CC Corporation can work on those findings… if they feel like intervening, that is…"

It was strange. He had spoken his words with a soft integrity that did not allow for sarcasm, but Ryou had the distinct feeling that Kaoru Ichinose' remark about the CC Corporation alluded to some insight in the business' workings.

"Do you work for the CC Corporation?" Ryou wanted to know, even though he had misgivings. Certainly he would have heard something about employment with the huge corporation if that was the case.

But "I am involved in their work with The World," was all that Kaoru Ichinose allowed himself to answer.

Ryou, dissatisfied with that answer, opened the office door they had approached. "There's a PC with a headset in here," he informed the young man.

Kaoru Ichinose thanked him, but was silent as he took the keyboard into his hands and booted up the PC. Ryou tried not to think about it, but there was a tangible fear from the young man that Ryou could not help but sense. Kaoru Ichinose's nervous sigh as his fingers tapped in his username and password—he was too quick for Ryou to solve the mystery of the designer's online identity—did nothing to ease the suspicion that whatever it was that Kaoru Ichinose was about to do, it was not safe.

Time passed. Ryou counted seconds, then minutes.

"I'm here," Kaoru Ichinose said simply. Ryou froze. The voice he had spoken in was different than before. Most people used voice modification software, Ryou knew, but there were certain players whose natural abilities, or the desire for only a small change, lent them towards simply just putting on another voice while online.

But that voice. Ryou had heard it before, somewhere online. It felt so familiar that he was furious with himself for not identifying it immediately. Was it Kuhn's? Yata's? No. Neither seemed the type to be like Kaoru Ichinose offline. Then again, you could never tell.

But whatever conversation that Kaoru Ichinose had involved himself in, Ryou felt a chill simply listening to the young man's side of the conversation.

"No, I swear I wasn't…"

Silence.

"You said that there would be no need for the situation to escalate as such. I simply want to know how you're involved in what's happening offline, Sakaki. If AIDA is slipping out of your control…"

Sakaki. Ryou stared at the young man in the chair. Then something clicked. There was no way that Kaoru Ichinose was so scatter-brained to just let someone overhear a conversation like this.

Whatever conversation that Kaoru Ichinose was taking part in, Ryou felt certain that it was intended for him to overhear.

But I don't even know who you are, Ryou thought. And you don't know who I am. Unless you've guessed. Ryou did not, after all, use voice modification software to play The World.

Kaoru Ichinose quickly took in a gasp. Then he sighed softly, displeased. Or perhaps frightened.

"Stop this," he whispered. "You don't—"

Whatever his next words might have revealed was interrupted by an anguished scream.

"Ichinose-san!!" Ryou shouted, and pulled the chair back, lifted the headset away from the young man's face. He heard the hiss of white noise from the miniature speakers, and in that instant an ominous sinking hum sounded in the walls and air ducts of the office. They had lost power.

"Ichinose-san!" he insisted frantically as he shook the limp young man's shoulders. "Wake up!!"

But it was useless. Kaoru Ichinose was as coherent as any of the other Lost Ones.

Ryou fumbled for his cell phone, doubting it would work. But by some miracle, his reception connected him. He had no idea how the medical authorities would be able to move Kaoru Ichinose out with the power locked down like this, but they had told him to stay where he was.

Who was Kaoru Ichinose, was what Ryou wanted most to know. He replayed the young man's half of his conversation.

"Endrance…?" Ryou whispered.

It didn't make sense. There was simply no way that the designer Kaoru Ichinose could be Endrance's alter ego. And since Kaoru Ichinose had practically tailored his half of the conversation so that Ryou would glean as much information as possible from it, he could not be the disgruntled Endrance that Haseo had apparently slighted.

But Endrance would have instantly recognized Haseo's voice. And the more he thought about it, the more Kaoru Ichinose was not that different from the Blade Brandier that Haseo felt so close to.

Bitter tears welled up in Ryou's eyes even as he silently cursed them. He was not supposed to cry, as Alkaid had spent her last moments reminding him. But Endrance had played a dangerous game, pretending to Sakaki that Haseo had hurt him and he wanted revenge. And now Endrance was another of Sakaki's victims.

Ryou Misaki refused to leave Endrance's side while they were rushed to the nearest hospital. He had spent an hour, perhaps more in the company of the one who mattered to him most, and could not even think clearly enough to realize it. And now he did not know if that someone would wake up ever again.


	3. Establishing Connection

Sorry for the delay! I've been sick. Not fun at all...

Chapter 3: Establishing Connection

The unmistakable, sterile hum of a hospital's silence was worse the incommunicativeness of the train. Here, the affected silence trembled with fear, and Ryou Misaki felt it strongly. But another part of him was dead, dulling the pain.

It had been three days. After the brief crisis, the news stations had oscillated between reviewing the damage at large and the unfortunate tragedy that was Kaoru Ichinose's coma.

_Hey, you guys hear about that famous designer guy who ended up in a coma?_ Kuhn had of course been the first to mention it aloud when Ryou had raced online. But there was nothing Haseo could say, not with Sakaki listening to everything they spoke, when Pi hushed and told him that a much more important person was missing: Endrance.

Their brief meeting only went over the effects that AIDA must have had on the offline world. Kuhn talked about the Twilight and how similar instances had occurred. While Ryou was certainly old enough to have been gaming during that time, he had never experienced R:1. So it was Kuhn's experience and Pi's knowledge that they went over, hypothesizing everything but deciding nothing.

_Endrance played R:1, didn't he? _Kuhn had asked. Ryou thought back, but apart from Endrance's strangeness involving Mia, there was nothing he could recall in the way of a direct conversation about that.

Ryou half wondered how he had even been allowed online, but then reminded himself bitterly that, no doubt, Sakaki had not known that Ryou Misaki had been present when Kaoru Ichinose had been attacked.

And there was no need for that madman to know. Ryou knitted his fingers together and thought. It was all he could do for now, after all. Sakaki and AIDA had taken so many away from him, and the comatose, thin young man in front of him only served as a reminder.

"Endrance," he allowed himself to breathe as he stood up. There was little wonder that the media had fallen in love with his offline persona. The person that Endrance was offline, in just the hour that Ryou had spent with him, was more confident and sure of his own actions than Ryou would have ever thought.

It was easy for Ryou to be confident while touting the name 'Terror of Death' and the skill of an Epitaph User, all while the perfect image of a roguish hero. To fight while offline, without obvious answer or even direction, that was strength.

And he was beautiful, Ryou noted. Online and off. He wondered what Kaoru Ichinose—Endrance—thought of him when he realized that his Haseo was only a breath away. He hoped that Kaoru Ichinose did not think Ryou looked too much like a child.

When had the last time been when Haseo had asked Endrance about how he was coping with real life offline? After all, his real identity had been nothing less than a shock to Ryou.

Then he remembered. The last time they had talked began with a private message. It had been from Endrance, a surprise in itself. While certainly forward enough in person, Endrance had never been one to invite Haseo. It had always been the other way around.

_(Sigma) Thoughtful Remaining Cloudways_

_Haseo—join me?_

_Yours always, Endrance._

_Rain stirred the winds and marked the heavy red earth with inarguable punctuation. The drifting seldom sprigs of vibrant green foliage, dispersed unevenly through the red stone, flittered in the weighted air. They were alone in a canyon field, with all of The World around them._

_"Hey Endrance," Haseo called out. "How have you been lately? Offline, I mean," he clarified._

_To little surprise—Endrance always gave their conversations all of his attention, even if his answers were typically nothing less than vague—the beautiful swordsman turned full around and paused, meeting Haseo's eyes with an endearing smile._

_While it was considered taboo, Haseo had never felt any qualms about discussing the details of offline life. In fact, while he never betrayed the extent to which he cared, he considered it his responsibility to know after Endrance had let it slip that he wasn't eating offline._

_"Ah," Endrance said immediately, stalling for a moment to think. "I'm… fine. Better. I went outside today. I had to… I registered for school."_

_Haseo was surprised. "Really," he said quietly, but then brightened. "That's good to hear! What are you studying?"_

_"I've decided on design," Endrance said to him, a little more confidently. "It's what I was most interested in before I… before I dropped my studies," he ended unsteadily._

_"Don't worry about that," Haseo said to him quickly. "Hey, have you been eating and everything?"_

_At that, Endrance seemed to brighten up. "Yes, I have," he said with a bit of a laugh._

_Haseo paused for a moment. "You know I've never heard you laugh before?" he commented._

_"That can't be right," Endrance replied quickly. "Surely I must have in some conversation or another," he reached in earnest._

_But Haseo shook his head. "No, never. I'd have remembered it," he said assuredly._

_"So you were waiting for me to?" Endrance then suggested._

_"Wait, that's not what I said—" Haseo stammered, but it was too late for the smile on Endrance's pale features. "I'm just saying that it's the first time I remember hearing you laugh!! Maybe you did, but I mean…"_

_Endrance took Haseo's hands in his, and Haseo looked up at Endrance's expression once before ducking out of his overpowering fuchsia gaze._

_"I mean, it's most important to me that you're laughing offline too, you know. It's pointless if you do one thing online and nothing offline."_

_"Perhaps one day you can find out for yourself," Endrance said then._

_Haseo began to speak, but found that there was nothing he could immediately say._

Ryou Misaki turned away from the young man in the hospital bed. He needed to go home if he wanted to log in to The World.

"I suppose the only way I'll find out is if I figure out how to wake you up," Ryou said to himself as the hospital's automatic doors closed behind him.


	4. Maintenance

How's this fic doing so far? Please read and tell me what you think!!

Chapter 4: Maintenance

The sun split in the lazily running water of Mac Anu. Haseo crossed his arms and leaned over the side of the bridge, watching the current run further away.

"It's not like you to sit and scheme," Kuhn said by his side.

"Maybe I'm just moping," Haseo offered emotionlessly. Kuhn was right—he was scheming, and it wasn't typical behavior for the Adept Rogue—but Haseo knew that there was something he had to do, but what he would have usually done would get him nowhere.

Kuhn snorted. "I can tell the difference. Penny for your thoughts?"

Haseo made a grimacing face. "Not when you-know-who's listening. Not like he'd care about something like this, though."

"Ah, so it's about Endrance. Why don't you try contacting him?"

"He's not going to answer."

"Somehow, I'm pretty sure that nothing less than a coma would keep him from coming to you if you said you wanted to talk. And I think you want to talk."

"Funny that you'd say that, Kuhn."

"What? You know something I don't?"

"Heard from everyone's favorite green-haired Edge Punisher lately?"

Kuhn was quiet as he looked up at Haseo. "Everyone has to sleep sometimes," he said then. "I don't think he's online right now. Haseo, tell me what's going on. What's the deal with you and Endrance?"

Haseo stood up straight. "Endrance is a Lost One, Kuhn," he said, struggling over the words. "I don't know how it happened. You would have known if we had access to Project G.U.'s files. I was offline when that crisis a few days ago happened. I didn't know it at the time, but Endrance was with me."

He paused. "Looking back, I know that he realized that it was me he was with. He ditched us because he wanted to sneak into Sakaki's inner circle and figure out what was going on from the inside. Sakaki found out somehow, and—"

Kuhn motioned for him to continue, but Haseo was spent.

"We can't have an Epitaph User become a Lost One," Haseo breathed. "We haven't been able to bring anyone back, I know. But Sakaki has gone too far. We need Endrance's power, and…"

"And you want him back," Kuhn finished for him, at Haseo's shocked reaction. "Hey, don't waste your breath lying to me. You'll only be lying to yourself," he added. "But since you've been sitting here scheming this whole time," the blue-haired Steam Gunner said, "do you have a plan?"

Haseo was quiet. "Not really," he admitted. "But I was able to find Endrance before. I know he wasn't really a Lost One, not for real back then, but the more I think about it, I think that maybe there was something that kept him from becoming a real Lost One. If I could just find him again, then…"

He looked to Kuhn, but found doubt instead of encouragement.

"That's really stretching it, Haseo," Kuhn admitted. "Thing is, we need you here and now," he interjected at Haseo's glowering glare, "and I think that getting rid of AIDA is the best bet you have for reviving Endrance. For reviving all of the Lost Ones," Kuhn clarified.

Haseo fumed on the inside for a moment before sighing, releasing that momentary anger. "I see your point, I guess," he consented and began to walk off.

"Hey, Haseo??" Kuhn called after him. "Haseo, promise me you won't go off and do something stupid," he shouted.

"Fine, I won't do something stupid," Haseo replied airily.

He knew that Kuhn caught the technicality. "Haseo!" Kuhn shouted after him, but Haseo was destined for the field. Kuhn had asked if he had a plan, and truth was, he didn't. But he would. For Endrance's sake, he needed one.

Haseo briefly considered visiting Indieglut Lugh again. But no, something said that he would not find his swordsman there. If he was to find Endrance, then he would need to find a place connected to the deeper side of The World. That meant scouring all of the holy grounds.

No, maybe not all of them, he thought as he looked around the Eternal City. Mac Anu had been here since R:1, he knew from the boards. And so had AIDA, he knew from Project G.U.

If he really wanted answers, maybe the best place to start would be another relic from that bygone game. The cathedral at Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground.

He told himself immediately that his idea was stupid. But it had worked the last time, he had to concede. When he had sought justice for Shino, had he not found direction, indirectly, from visiting that hallowed place?

_Oh, Endrance,_ he thought desperately. _What am I going to do with you? I tell you time and time again that you need to do things for yourself. The one time you listen to me, and…_

And Haseo knew that he owed the loving swordsman, at least this time.

"Haseo!!" Kuhn's voice came after him, and the Steam Gunner stuttered to a stop, standing in front of Haseo and blocking his path. "Haseo, where are you going?"

"To the Hulle Ganz cathedral," Haseo answered truthfully. Maybe if the bearer of the Propagation came, he could use the extra firepower in case anything happened.

"Why," Kuhn pressed to know. "Do you think you'll find answers there? Why that place?"

"Because it's old. It's linked to R:1," Haseo said to him. "Just like AIDA."

Kuhn shook his head. "Haseo, that's dangerous and you know it. Haseo, confronting AIDA like we planned is the best way to go about this. Trust me."

"Why?" Haseo said then. "What do you know?"

Kuhn's weary sigh indicated that he did not like the direction that the conversation was going in. "I played R:1, Haseo. It's bad enough that we've got R:2 to mess with. R:1 is old business, Haseo, business that shouldn't be touched."

"Kuhn, I don't really have a choice."

"We've all got choices."

"All right. Then it's my choice to find Endrance. He did this for me, Kuhn. I don't expect you to understand that."

Kuhn looked at Haseo for a long while. He seemed to be deciding something inside of himself when he spoke again.

"Sure I understand that. I'm Sieg from R:1, Haseo. Don't worry, I don't expect you to understand what that means. But the day I 'met' my buddy Magus, I got myself into a coma at the onset of the Twilight so that my friend could escape safely. I only woke up when the dot hackers defeated the Wave, Haseo. That's how we're going to save Endrance, by defeating AIDA."

"Too bad we need Endrance to help that happen. I'm going to do things differently, Kuhn, and you can't stop me."

Kuhn nodded slowly. "Then you'd better do your research, Haseo. Don't go in knowing nothing about R:1."

It took Haseo a moment to realize that Kuhn was actually giving him advice.

"I'll send you some links," Kuhn added. "Some sites are closer to the truth than others. You need anything, let me know. Pi is going to kill me for this, but… it's either this or I'll have to stare at your moping face all day."

Haseo rolled his eyes, but then his gratitude was genuine. "Thanks a lot, Kuhn. For real."


	5. Intertextuality

Disclaimer: I don't own En! Oh, and I don't own Haseo, either. Who knows what would happen if that were the case… as always, please read and review!! I appreciate the feedback.

Chapter 5: Intertextuality

"I looked up your work on the net," Ryou Misaki said quietly, pointlessly, to the unconscious young man in the hospital bed. "I know this probably isn't the first time you've heard this, but… you're really talented, you know. And your work has a lot of variety, so you've got a lot of potential for whatever you want to do when you graduate."

He had also done as Kuhn had bid him. When he checked his mail later on that day, he had found links to a few sites, all of which had been helpful.

But even though he should have been committing to memory the nuances and technicalities of the former crisis with R:1, he found himself drawn to the dot hackers. And why not? They were so much like he and the other Epitaph Users, after all. With each one coming from different places, but each one fighting the CC Corporation and the infection for the sake of friends, for the sake of The World, he only saw a parallel.

The dot hacker Kite and the dot hackers Balmung and Orca had snagged his curiosity the most at first—they did, after all, bear striking resemblance to the figures he kept on seeing in the deeper places of The World.

But the one named Elk just confused him. The blue-haired Wavemaster seemed out of place, but he had been a part of the legendary party as well, and played just as active of a part. None of the sites had said what that was, though.

And nothing had directly helped him. He had found a few vague references to Sieg, Kuhn's old character, but it seemed that Sieg's involvement with the Twilight had actually been minimal. The coma Kuhn mentioned had taken him out of the game for much of the infamous event.

So Kuhn had been in a coma about the same time that Ryou himself had been trapped in one.

Interesting, Ryou thought. How deep did their involvement with The World lie, the Epitaph Users, Ryou speculated. He wanted to know how deeply—if at all—Endrance had been involved with R:1. Deep enough to meet Mia, Ryou knew.

Ryou, after a moment's consideration, slipped his hand into the unmoving palm closest to him, the one with the slow pulse of an IV unit's needle coursing his life into his veins. His skin was soft, but his nails were anxiously bitten close.

Slightly lifting up Kaoru Ichinose's hand, Ryou found the barely detectable calluses of a frequent gamer, and the blue veins of one who had only recently begun to know sunlight and eat regularly.

Maybe Elk had done something that seemed like betrayal, but it was only to help the one he loved. Maybe that was it.

He let that hand fall, and hesitantly combed back the young man's long hair.

Maybe something about the way Elk looked reminded Ryou of Endrance.

But he had no idea, other than a hunch, about why knowing the dot hackers would be important to him. He really should have been concentrating on the Wave and AIDA and all of the other details.

"Are you all right where you are, Endrance?" he said softly. "You're not… happy there, are you?"

Ryou remembered all too well the crystal that Endrance had confined himself to, after Haseo had defeated him in his infected state. And even though he had not known the loving swordsman well enough back then to begrudge him his resting place, he wondered now if Endrance was in an isolated coldness like that, and if he preferred it to Haseo.

But Endrance was not lost for good then, and he was not lost now. If Kuhn was a Lost One from R:1 and he had awakened again, then they could all wake up. And in order to wake up, they needed to exist somewhere inside the game where they could wake up from. Some were certain to be deeper than others.

Ryou desperately hoped that wherever Endrance was, he had not sunk so far into the game that Haseo could not reach him.


	6. Equation

Chapter 6: Equation

Haseo stood on the edge of the silent black lake. He had decided to try Indieglut Lugh after all. He had gone to Hulle Ganz. Rather, he had gone to the exterior of Hulle Ganz.

Stepping onto the worn walkway, he looked out into the empty space beyond that the cathedral inexplicably stood affixed to the center of. But when the daunting cathedral engulfed his vision and one hand touched the door, he backed away.

All that was in that place was previous failure. He had not been able to save Shino by going to that place.

So it was with sounding relief that he rushed to the quiet solitude of the darkened field which housed the path that would take him to the place Endrance had called his own.

The white tree, spun from crystal and glass, stretched its unearthly limbs above Haseo's head.

A fairy world, it seemed. Not tethered to reality but a cold defiance of it, the only glow came from the earth and the sand shifted with the whispers of invisible sprites. A perfect hiding place for a secluded spirit, but not for the Endrance that loved Haseo.

Then Haseo caught something. A movement.

"Hey!" he shouted out. "Someone there?!" Haseo squinted in the brittle light. There was a figure, half-hiding behind the tree.

The figure's glare was suspicious and appraising as it stepped into Haseo's vision. Strange clothing, a relic from R:1 in plum robes and a Wavemaster's nautilus, with a shock of cyan hair and soft fuchsia eyes.

And, unless there was some detail that Haseo had forgotten, a carbon copy of the dot hacker named Elk.

"Are you Elk?" Haseo shouted from across the shore. Then he realized how rude he was being. "I'm Haseo," he added, hoping to at least seem a bit better mannered than his first impression.

"Haseo?" the robed character questioned. "Um… how did you know my name?"

"You're a dot hacker," Haseo laughed with hopes of easing up the conversation. "You're famous."

"Really?" Elk said, as if he didn't quite believe it but would have liked to. "I didn't really do much, not in comparison to Kite and Blackrose and Balmung. But… um, thank you, I guess."

Haseo looked across the water. "Hey, I have a question. If you're a dot hacker, does that mean you can see parts of The World that aren't normally visible to ordinary players?"

The Wavemaster fidgeted uneasily. "Like… what do you mean? I've been to the Net Slums, but a normal hacker can get there. And I've seen the Wave, but that's different. Why?"

Funny he didn't mention AIDA, Haseo thought. "Well, I was wondering if you've maybe seen any of the Lost Ones. Because I'm looking for one. He's got really long light blue hair, same color as yours, and wears purple—also like yours—and his eyes…"

Haseo paused. "His name is Endrance. Basically he has the same color scheme as you but he's a Blade Brandier."

That only confused the PC. "I've never heard of a class called a Blade Brandier before," he informed Haseo.

There wasn't an immediate reply to that, and Haseo stumbled for ground in the conversation. "Uh… really? It's a pretty common class," Haseo said uneasily.

"Blade Brandier—do you mean Blademaster?"

Haseo wondered what a player character was doing, not knowing the other class names. "No, I mean Blade Brandier. That's what they're called in R:2."

"R:2??" Elk repeated incredulously, and Haseo frowned in thought.

"Elk," Haseo asked, "are you a player character?"

"What kind of question is that?" Elk insisted. "Of course I am!! I'm online right now, let me prove it to…" the boy character fell silent for a moment. "I am a player, really I am. I know what you're thinking, that maybe I'm an NPC or maybe even a Vagrant AI like…"

"Hey, Elk," Haseo called out quickly. "It's okay, calm down. Why don't you come over here, if you can, so we can talk easier?"

Hesitantly, the Wavemaster nodded, and raised his staff above his head. His avatar was devoured by a succession of golden rings, and he reappeared on the sand not five feet away from Haseo.

"How did you do that?" Haseo asked quietly. "I've never been able to cross that water. I've tried several times."

Elk frowned. "You asked me to, and I did. That's all there was to it," Elk said, turning his back on Haseo now. "Why did you come here, anyways?"

"Like I said, I'm looking for my—" Haseo fumbled over his words, "my friend."

"Is he really important to you?" Elk said softly, calmer than before.

Haseo nodded. "Yeah," he admitted. "He's the most important person to me in The World. I'd… I'd do anything to find him."

That sentiment, the Wavemaster seemed to understand. He nodded resolutely, then met Haseo's gaze once more. "I have a friend like that, you know. For a while, I thought I'd lost her. So I know… what you feel like right now. What's he like?" Elk wanted to know.

Haseo laughed self-effacingly. "Complicated. Explaining would take a while."

"I've got time," Elk said with a tilt of his head, and then the Wavemaster sat down on the shore. Haseo thought for a moment, and then joined him. He had the sneaking suspicion that Elk was not, no matter what he claimed, a player character. Maybe he was a Lost One. Whatever the case, Haseo thought that Elk must be desperately lonely. If that friend of his was even real, he doubted that Elk's friend could find him now.

"He's incredibly dramatic," Haseo began, "but he means well. He's…"

Haseo cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry," he admitted. "It's just that it's a bad time for him to be missing, that's all. Even though that's partially the reason he's a Lost One. AIDA got him, you see. Of course AIDA got him, that's how all Lost Ones become Lost Ones…"

Haseo breathed in deeply. Offline, he was fighting frustrated tears. Online, he wanted to find Sakaki and kill him for what he had stolen. But that would solve nothing.

It was only after Elk hesitantly piped up that Haseo realized how long the silence was.

"I could help you," Elk said softly. "Help you find him, I mean. I don't know what this AIDA being is, but it sounds like the Wave…"

"You don't know what AIDA is?" Haseo repeated in shock. "But… don't you see it? It's the black stuff, the infection."

Elk's eyes went wide in recognition. He nodded slowly. "I always thought those black spots were just… I don't know what I thought. But Haseo, I'd… I want to help. I can't find my friend, so I might as well help you find yours since it sounds to me like the both of you are just as close to each other as I am to my friend."

"I don't know if you can, Elk," Haseo dissented. "And besides, there's no way I could repay you."

At that, Elk mumbled something incoherent.

Haseo frowned. "What was that?"

Elk paused. When he spoke again, his words were edged with an undercurrent of urgency. "Well, um, actually, there's something you could help me with. You see, I disappear every so often. I can't control it, but I think it happens when I lose contact with the rest of The World."

"That… that's really strange," Haseo admitted. "And confusing."

Elk jumped to explain. "Like, right now I'm here because you're here, or if anyone else came here. But if you left I would probably go back into that other place. Even now, I can tell that you're about to leave. And that's enough to pull me back…"

As if his words were enough to be a trigger, Elk's avatar flickered before Haseo's eyes.

"Haseo, I don't want to disappear again," Elk said desperately as he began to fade.

"You're not going to disappear, Elk," Haseo said to him immediately. And then he had an idea. If Elk's existence here was prolonged by contact with the rest of The World, then Elk had to keep on talking and interacting with Haseo.

"Elk, talk to me. Just say something, anything. Tell me about the first time you played The World," he prompted when the shaking Wavemaster did not begin.

"The first time I logged in," Elk began shakily, "I was in the field when I was PKed."

Haseo bit back a curse. Instead he wordlessly nodded, prompting Elk to continue.

"It wasn't by some ordinary player, but I knew for some reason that it wasn't a monster either. It was this beast with a red cross, and there was a male player character at its heart. When it killed me, I didn't game over or grey out. It hurt a lot, I remember. Not just in my HP, but for real. I wanted to die," Elk said as he took the moment to breathe.

But then he continued. Haseo, meanwhile, was left taking in the image of the monster. He realized that Skeith had been the one to kill Elk. His voice was still checked while Elk continued.

"Then there was a strange player character standing above me. She'd revived me. Her name was Mia…"

"Mia?!" Haseo exclaimed. "Mia?"

Elk nodded. "Yeah, Mia. My friend that I was telling you about. Haseo, what's wrong?"

Haseo wordlessly staggered to his feet. "Elk, come with me, okay? I'm getting you out of here. There's a place you can stay, my guild, where I'll make sure that someone's always there to make sure you don't fade away. If no one else, it'll be me," Haseo assured. He was speaking without really thinking, but the mere mention of that name was enough to jar Haseo's thoughts.

The name itself didn't mean anything. It was quite possible that whatever Mia was had interacted with a lot of player characters, even though he had never really understood exactly what Mia was supposed to have been.

But as he looked at Elk, he knew that the physical resemblance was more than just a coincidence. In fact, he felt stupid for not adding it up earlier. But he'd also doubted that fate—no, dumb luck—could be so kind to him.

"Do you mean it, Haseo?" Elk said shyly, hopefully.

Haseo nodded. "Of course I do."


	7. Trojan Horse

Disclaimer: I don't own anything .hack. I haven't really written for Silabus and Gaspard, and since they're not characters I use too often in the game (I use Endrance and Matsu when I can), I'm curious to see how true to their characters I wrote the pair.

And Here You Are With Me: Trojan Horse

Emerging into the shimmering sunlight of Breg Epona, Haseo had to blink even though he was inside of a game. Mac Anu had the sad taint of R:1, and Lumina Cross only existed so that people could kill each other and still play by the game's rules. Dol Dona seemed like a camp set up in the middle of an area field, but Breg Epona was the spirit of R:2.

It wasn't too long ago that Haseo had been allowed into Breg Epona once more, after a long, long time raising his character from level one all over again. It made him smile a little to look out at this root town.

He took perhaps five steps when he realized that he was walking alone.

"Elk?" he turned around, and saw that the strange character obviously shared in Haseo's astonishment. But there was darkness in his appearance that Haseo did not associate with Breg Epona.

"What… what is this place? This isn't Fort Ouph?" Elk said in confusion. "It's so beautiful," he sighed, head craning high to take everything in.

Haseo laughed; he couldn't help it. "Think of this place as Fort Ouph, but upgraded," he told Elk. Was this the feeling that Silabus and Gaspard got from helping newcomers out, hearing the awe in their voices when they took in The World for the first time?

The pride that Haseo suddenly felt in The World was personal, in a way. This was the place he'd chosen to spend his online life's time, and here was someone else who approved of this programmed world, and indirectly approved of Haseo's choice. It was a good feeling.

"Come on, I'll take you to the place I was talking about. You'll like it, you'll see," Haseo said with a lighter heart than he had felt in some time.

"Mia would love this place," Elk sighed behind him as they began down the walkway.

Haseo looked over his shoulder. "So who is Mia, exactly," he asked, trying to be casual about it. "Because I knew someone who also knew a Mia. Don't know if it was the same one, but you never know, right?"

Elk only shook his head. "Mia didn't have any other friends online," he responded. Which made Haseo only more confused. "But… I don't know. Mia is Mia. We liked to go around and collect Aromatic Grass. It's this completely useless item, but we still collected it anyways!" Elk laughed a little. "I remember when Kite gave some that he found to me. It just… I don't know. It wasn't the same, I guess. I think I have to find it myself for it to be worth anything."

Haseo had never heard of such an item. But he did not quite feel like crushing Elk's cheerful mood by telling him the item had been disposed of, in between R:1 and R:2.

"Elk, you think that maybe—" Haseo began, but when he looked for Elk, the strange Wavemaster character was gone. Whether he had been simply absorbed into the crowd or if it was the disappearing that Elk had been afraid of, Elk was no longer there.

"Elk?!" Haseo called out, wondering why Elk had to be so strange and out of programming conventions that he could not simply add Elk to his party and be done with it. That way, he would know where Elk was. But since that was impossible, Haseo doubled back, intent on searching.

"Elk!!"

When the crowd cleared around a circle of space, a sinking feeling dragged down Haseo's hope.

And what Haseo saw not only sparked fear in him, but for a moment he thought that reality had slipped from his grasp and what he saw was the product of a nightmare.

Those two PKs. The two that had gone for him, back when he had begun The World as an innocent new player. There had been no protective group like Canard for him back then.

But he saw at that moment, sometimes even Canard could not protect everyone. Somehow, inexplicably, Silabus and Gaspard were the ones standing over a greyed-out Elk, glaring defensively at the PKs.

The player killers' weapons were drawn, their avatars pasted with snickering, victorious smiles.

"What do you think you're doing?" Haseo raged as he drew up to them. "Never mind—how is it even possible that you just PKed this player?"

They laughed nervously, caught between the stereotypical urge to be a smart-mouthed PK and give him some sort of snotty reply, and the realization that the Terror of Death stood before them.

"This is a PK zone," the male player character finally answered, with less enthusiasm for his antisocial hobby than before. "Up until the first day of the tournament, here and Lumina Cross are PK-friendly…"

"Care for me to test out that new rule for myself?" Haseo snarled, and they made themselves quickly scarce as Haseo cast reviving magic on Elk.

"Um, thanks," Elk said. "Sorry I made you go to all that trouble," he added, sounding genuinely ashamed. "I just didn't think that was how the game was played now, so I didn't take them seriously…"

"That's not how the game is played now," Haseo replied, still seething over the scene. "But these two who were trying to protect you, they're from the guild I was talking about. Silabus, Gaspard, meet Elk. Elk, say hello to Silabus and Gaspard. You'll be staying in our Home for awhile."

Elk nodded, wordlessly greeting the pair.

"Hey, Elk. Sorry for the scare back there," Silabus said quickly, trying to cover up the awkwardness. "It's nice to meet you. A friend of Haseo's is a friend of ours. We should probably be moving on, then," he said to Haseo.

Haseo noticed that Elk was looking strangely at Gaspard. Then he remembered: there were no beast characters in R:1. With every minute that passed with Elk, Haseo felt reminded again and again of those internet rumors that R:2 had been designed to be another game completely, not at all the successor to The World that Elk hailed from. What was it like for him, to be told he was in the same place as before, while everything changed around him?

The walk to the Home was a quiet one. Silabus and Gaspard tried to get Elk to talk, but he seemed shaken by the PK incident. No wonder, Haseo thought. It wasn't until they were inside that Elk spoke up.

"Haseo? This is a little late, but… what's a guild?"

Silabus and Gaspard looked at Haseo strangely as Haseo had no choice but to explain, knowing he would be explaining to Silabus and Gaspard later on.

"A guild's like a group for players with common interests. They're given a special place to meet, called an Home, where we are now. You can stay here while we figure out what's going on with you, Elk," Haseo said to him.

It wasn't until Elk had wandered off and appeared to be engaged in an oddly in-depth conversation with Death Grunty that Silabus and Gaspard approached Haseo.

"So who is this guy?" Silabus said, dropping the ever-friendly look for something more immediate. "Gaspard and I can't put our fingers on him. That and Gaspard tells me that his avatar is actually from R:1. Is that some sort of special promotion?"

Haseo hated lying to them. "Yeah. It didn't run for very long, because it apparently messes with the character's stats. Elk lost all his levels, otherwise he would have been able to take on those PKs in the market, no problem. He's kind of a solo player, so he never really looked into stuff like guilds. So I figured it's kind of like when I lost all my data, and I remembered when you both took me in. I was hoping I could do that for him."

They nodded. Gaspard even congratulated him for embracing the ideals of Canard. Haseo grimaced internally, hoping he could make it up to himself one day for lying to them. But to him, Silabus and Gaspard were innocent. They played the game for the sake of the game, not because it was any more real than what the CC Corporation promoted.

They had no business with the Twilight.


	8. Decrypt

Disclaimer: I don't own .hack/G.U. or any other .hack incarnations.

As 'And Here You Are With Me' progresses, I've been spending a lot more time thinking about the original .hack game series and how it compares to G.U. Are there any Harvest Clerics besides Atoli? I'm not sure which style I prefer. The R:1 arcs will always be special because .hack/SIGN was so unique when it came out, but I like the art from R:2 more. My only complaint is that most of G.U.'s plot is furthered by tournament battles, and that my favorite character from the original games didn't return when so many others did.

Chapter Eight: Decrypt

When Haseo walked in with the first light of morning, he saw Elk's expression brighten instantly.

"Haseo!!" Elk cried out, and ran up to him.

"Wow, good morning to you too," Haseo laughed. "What'd I do right? You feeling okay?"

Elk nodded. "Thank you for letting me stay here. Even though it was quiet, I could still feel the presence of players outside. So I stayed here in The World, thanks to you." It was plain in his voice that he meant it.

"Haseo, are you okay?" he said suddenly.

Haseo grimaced for a moment. "Last night, after I brought you here, I went to the field with Matsu and Atoli. They're friends of mine," he explained quickly. "I wasn't exactly a good party member last night. We were in battle against a bunch of really tough enemies, and I completely spaced out. They were yelling at me, but I just didn't hear it, somehow…"

"Maybe you were just tired," Elk supplied.

But Haseo shook his head. "No, I was really awake. We were… looking for Endrance," he added quietly. "But I don't know where he'd be."

"Well, when I couldn't find Mia, I would always go to fields that had aromatic grass. If you're looking for someone, you need to go to places that they like. Isn't that obvious?"

Haseo's expression brightened. "Cloudy fields," he said quickly, eager to grasp at any straw he could. "He likes cloudy fields."

* * *

"Elk, just because you're a magic user doesn't mean you have to lag behind," Haseo called out as he stepped from grass to shaded stone tiles. "You can see enemies coming way ahead of time in R:2. Besides, we're at the Beast Temple. All the monsters are cleared out."

After half an hour of trawling the first cloudy field they chanced upon, Haseo had to convince himself that it wasn't all for naught, that if there was any sign of Endrance anywhere in a field, it would be in the Beast Temple.

"Endrance, where are you?" Haseo said softly. He looked over his shoulder to spot Elk, but Elk had not followed him inside.

"Elk??" Haseo called out to the silhouette at the entrance. "Elk! Come on, you don't want to hang around out there with all those PKs running around—ugh!!"

Black dots danced in front of his eyes.

Haseo recoiled from the air in front of him, wrinkled his nose in disgust as his heart raced for fear. AIDA. Skeith stirred at the frayed edges of his consciousness, but Haseo forced him down for the moment.

"Not yet, not yet," he muttered, placating the pacing beast within. "Have to make sure Elk's all right—Elk!!" he called out. "Elk, get out of here! AIDA—"

When Elk didn't stir, Haseo ran for the entrance, determined to move the Wavemaster's avatar himself if he wouldn't listen. And then he stopped. Not of his own accord—the game wouldn't let him travel past the entrance to the Beast Temple. He was trapped inside.

Skeith roared to life, channeling Haseo's confusion and transmuting it to fury.

* * *

Haseo sighed and leaned his head back against the cool tile. How many hours had passed, he could not guess. But it was enough for the game's day/night simulation to filter through daylight and evening. The clouds had cleared and opal moonlight drifted in shafts through the slitted windows.

So what had Elk been? A traitor of sorts for Sakaki, or simply a construction of Sakaki's to lure him here? Maybe. But surely Sakaki would have come by now to gloat, if nothing else. As it was, Haseo was just sitting here, doing nothing but occasionally spacing out.

Which made him wonder why he was here. Was it just to keep Haseo under Sakaki's thumb, or…

Footsteps, soft but concrete. Startled, Haseo clambered to his feet. When the moonlight fell upon the approaching player's face, half of him ripped from where he was standing to close the distance. But the other half was bolted to the floor.

"Endrance?!" Haseo exclaimed, but the moonlight betrayed his momentary hope. Elk stepped into the soft, fragmented glow.

No way he could have honestly mistaken Elk's silhouette for Endrance's. Was he so tired, so desperate that he was hallucinating?

"It's me, Haseo," Elk said quietly. "Sorry to get your hopes up."

"What are you doing here," Haseo said. "What's going on? I've been imprisoned here for hours; answer me!! Are you with Sakaki, or what?"

Elk looked down at the floor. "Well, yes. He promised me he'd return Mia to me, all right? He knew I would do anything to have her back."

"I know someone who knew this Mia of yours," Haseo seethed. "She doesn't exist in R:2!"

"Yeah. Endrance, the one that you're looking for. He's the one that's had her all along! I'll never be able to repay Sakaki for all that he's done for me, getting rid of Endrance and…"

But Elk was quiet. "Why did she like him better?"

"You aren't listening to me! Mia isn't here—" but then Haseo stopped. "Elk, tell me, how many other people did Mia talk to? Were you the only one?"

"Pretty much, yeah, before the Twilight," Elk answered sulkily.

"Elk, when's the last time you logged out?" Haseo said, his voice now panicked. "Really, try to remember. How long have you been here? When was the last time you played the World?"

Elk looked up to him. "Haseo, I don't know. I really don't," he said, his own voice strained with panic.

Haseo took a deep breath. "Elk. Right now, pretend it's two years ago, all right? There is no R:2, there is no Sakaki, there is no AIDA, and Mia's there too."

"I remember that," Elk said quietly.

"All right. Good," Haseo said quickly, assuring. "Now. There's going to be an accident at CC Corp., and a lot of The World is going to be lost. Mia's going to be gone. Are you following me?"

Elk nodded.

"And then you're not going to be able to log on to The World for a while. But when you do, again, you're going to pick another type of character, not a magic user. You're going to be a Blade Brandier so you can be strong and find Mia and protect her, got it? Do you remember?"

Haseo was guessing now, filling in the blanks from the few conversations he had carried with Endrance that had been substantially based around him, not Haseo.

But surprisingly, Elk nodded, confirming that he did remember.

"And you're going to call yourself Endrance… for the endurance and resolve that you would need to find Mia. And you're going to find her, but it won't be her, not really. It'll be AIDA, and it will tempt you. Because Mia never left, she's really been inside you this whole time, only she's the way she was supposed to be as a phase of Morganna, so she can't talk to you."

"What?" Elk said then.

Haseo continued. "And AIDA wants Mia—her name's really Macha—so it's going to infect you and take over your mind, your thoughts. And you're going to fight me, and I'm going to save you. And then you'll go away and… and I'll find you. I'll be there with you until you wake up and open yourself to The World again."

Haseo was quiet.

"Haseo, are you… crying…?" Elk said softly.

"No," Haseo insisted. It was mostly true.

Elk waited for a moment.

"Then what happens?"

"I don't know," Haseo whispered, eyes sinking to the floor.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know what you were trying to do. You leave me, tell me goodbye. It hurts. Then I'll see you on the train, in the real world. And… you'll save me, and then try to understand why the real world is in such chaos. And you'll become a Lost One. And then I'll meet someone online named Elk… who's really Endrance, but can't remember…"

"That… never happened," he heard Endrance's voice call to him. It sounded far away, but when he looked up Elk was gone.

"Endrance?" he said in amazement as his once-lover looked grudgingly at him. "What do you mean?"


	9. Debug

Disclaimer: I don't own .hack.

So… some rather strange happenings are about to occur in this next chapter. I'm just saying ahead of time. Please read and review!!

Chapter Nine: Debug

"I'm sorry, Haseo," Endrance said stiffly, as if there was no meaning to it.

"…Endrance? Is that… really you?"

"You don't seem pleased to see me," Endrance said to him.

Haseo shook his head quickly. "No, Endrance, it's not that. I… well, you don't seem too happy to see me," he said. "I guess I'm just a little confused. What are you doing here?"

Endrance took Haseo's wrist in his hands, pulled him forward in a uncharacteristically aggressive near-embrace. But he stopped Haseo just inches from his own body, grasped Haseo's other hand, and drew his face close to Haseo's.

"Why, you're in my mirror server. Elk was just a doll of mine, Haseo. I figured you would be unwilling to follow me here, so I arranged with Sakaki to allow me a little more control over AIDA…"

"Endrance, what are you talking about," Haseo said through clenched teeth, glaring up at the one he trusted so much. He didn't understand where this was going. "Endrance, I thought you were my friend."

"I thought I was more than simply another acquaintance, Haseo," Endrance said to him. "But that doesn't matter."

"Endrance, this isn't making any sense!! Tell me what's going on!" Haseo demanded, pulling against Endrance's grip.

"How should I know what's going on? I hardly see you—you seem to be more interested in that Atoli, after all."

"Endrance, it's not what you think—"

"What could I have done but think? And you know how dangerous it is to be alone with your thoughts in this World, Haseo… I'd forgotten how comforting AIDA was to me when no one else was, when people like you were too busy to remember me! Sakaki came to me, he listened to me! And he gave me this mirror server. I don't care that I'm putting you in his hands, Haseo," Endrance added.

"Endrance, you're not in your right mind, AIDA's corrupted you!" Haseo retorted. "So what if I didn't spend every minute I'm logged on with you! This World isn't real—if you cared so much, then maybe we should have met offline…"

"I asked if you wanted to," Endrance insisted.

"No you didn't."

"You don't remember because you ignored me! We were in the field. Thoughtful Remaining Cloudways, right after you said that you had never heard me laugh before."

Then he looked down, and only then seemed to realize that he had been gripping Haseo so hard that he couldn't move. As if burned, he released Haseo, who immediately drew back.

"Haseo, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just—" but his voice choked on itself. "It's hard to get used to being alone again, after…"

"So you'd rather sell yourself to AIDA and keep me here locked up? If you really care about me like you say you do, then what kind of care is that?"

"I—"

"Endrance, I'm trapped here in an AIDA server because of you! I've been here for about sixteen hours now. I haven't felt hungry or cold, and I can't feel myself on the other side of my controller, so that means I must be a Lost One now too, thanks to you. Just letting you know, I've been in a coma before. I lost so many years of my childhood, and I can't even remember why!! If you're the reason it happens again, then…"

"Haseo, are you angry with me?" Endrance asked delicately.

"I don't know, Endrance! What do you think?" Haseo snarled, and Endrance reached forward for Haseo's shoulder.

"Endrance, don't touch me," Haseo insisted again.

"But… so much of hunger is your mind reminding you how long it has been since your last meal. So much of cold is your nerves telling you that it is winter outside. And so much of loneliness is your heart crying over how much more it must…"

Still, Endrance's hand retreated from Haseo's shoulder as Haseo had asked, and with only a breath of a sigh to betray himself, the lonely swordsman turned his back on Haseo and walked over to the temple wall, where he leaned his back against it and, giving up on standing, sank to the floor.

He shook his head slightly, denying a question that he had not spoken aloud. The moon filtered through the windows to highlight half of his distraught features. Haseo took a step forward.

"Haseo, please don't," Endrance said shakily. "I'd…. I'd rather you leave me alone right now."

"Why?" Haseo said coldly. "Isn't this what you wanted??"

Endrance withdrew into himself, hiding away most of his features. "You can't possibly expect me to keep my composure after you've—" but a jagged cry finished the thought.

The sound of it broke Haseo.

"You don't have any reason to be crying," Haseo told him. "You're the one complaining that we didn't meet up offline, but you're not the one who goes to the hospital every day and sees your comatose body hooked up to an IV, are you?"

Endrance looked up. "Haseo—"

"I've seen you every day since you became a Lost One, Kaoru Ichinose!" Haseo insisted, and found he had tears in his own eyes. "I've been looking for you ever since you fell into a coma, and you're telling me that you did all of this because you thought I didn't care about you? Endrance—"

And then Haseo's eyes went wide in shock as Skeith formed around him of his own accord. The World shattered around him, and he found himself in the empty space with Macha's hand wrapped around Skeith's throat.

"Endrance!!" Haseo called out, pleading.

But then he was quiet. He sensed it, or rather he didn't. There wasn't a fragment of AIDA infection on Macha's core. In contrary, the pair was surrounded by swarms of the virus. Not simply enough to suggest an AIDA server within The World, but so many that Haseo wondered if all of The World had suddenly fallen to AIDA.

There was AIDA within him, too. It choked at his ankles, dragging him down.

A technicolor array formed around Macha as Endrance's Epitaph released Skeith. Data Drain.

Haseo couldn't move, but it was just as well. He cried out with unrestrained pain as Macha purged the AIDA from within Haseo's core.

Endrance attacked me, Haseo thought blearily. But there was AIDA inside of me, and not in him. But before he could work out if Endrance had hurt him or decided to save him somehow, Haseo blacked out.


	10. Welcome to the World

Disclaimer: I don't own .hack.

As 'And Here You Are With Me' comes to a close in this final chapter, know I greatly appreciate all of the readers who have given me support and critique, allowing me to improve as a writer. Thank you for reading, and please look for 'Disillusioned' in the near future. It centers on Endrance, and even though Haseo only appears towards the end, I believe you'll like it.

Chapter 10: Welcome to The World

Haseo opened his eyes to the sound of Atoli's voice. "Haseo," Atoli said softly, kindly as Haseo looked up. She seemed relieved, happy. "You're finally safe."

"Hey, Haseo. Sorry about the rough treatment, but it was kind of necessary. But hey, you're safe now. Took forever to find you."

That was Kuhn.

Haseo looked around, and found himself in a very different place than the one he left. It seemed… empty. Even more vacant than the space Epitaphs awakened from. Everything was black, except for the seemingly random blocks that seemed to graph out the floor he was lying on. He drew himself up into a sitting position.

"I'd like to apologize for the delay in rescuing you from your prison. But yours was the hardest to hack into, and then there was the trouble of awakening your mind."

"Yata?" Haseo said out loud. "Yata, you're all right!! Pi'll be happy," he said.

"What do I have to be happy about, again?" Pi said suddenly; she had not been there a moment ago.

Yata looked at him for a moment in confusion, and then nodded in understanding. "Ah, your mirror server was the one in which I went missing after Sakaki took over the Serpent of Lore."

"What are you talking about? And where am I?"

"You'd better give him the whole story, Yata," a girl's voice piped up. It was Saku. "I don't think Haseo's up to figuring it out by himself."

"I would be honored, but I think that Endrance would want to be the one to do it," Yata answered.

"Oh, yeah. Where is our fearless leader?" Kuhn said with a casual smile, looking off. "Is he resting? Don't blame him, not after that."

" 'Our fearless leader'? Endrance?" Haseo said skeptically.

"It's been a crazy three years since you've been gone," Kuhn said. "Oh, Endrance, you're awake! I was just about to completely confuse Haseo, so maybe you'd better update him."

"I suppose that would be best," Endrance said lightly, confidently. He looked the same, but Haseo hardly recognized him.

But Haseo knew that it was his Endrance, really his Endrance, when Endrance reached for his cheek. Haseo looked down, and Endrance pulled away. "I missed you," Endrance said to him quietly.

"I didn't know I was gone," Haseo said then.

"Three years ago," Endrance said to him, "Sakaki unleashed AIDA and it corrupted him to the core; he became its puppet. It corrupted everything. The World… and the real world. Sakaki took those who rebelled against AIDA and we became Lost Ones. But even though we were Lost Ones, our presence in the game was still enough to worry Sakaki, so he found our minds here in The World and trapped us all in AIDA mirror servers."

Haseo shook his head. "No, that's impossible. I've logged off, I've been in the real world."

"The real world… can no longer be called that. It is the realization of Sakaki's ideals, a perfect and soulless place where Moon Tree's teachings are realized in their most twisted way. AIDA infected everyone and everything, because no one could truly escape the connection to the nets. Because of this, AIDA could imitate the real world, effectively trapping all of us."

"I… the Haseo that was in my mirror server was not you. That was how I knew. Mia—Macha—helped me, and I Data Drained myself and escaped into the real World. I found the others, and now we usually stay in the Net Slums, but… we needed to come here to save you. I couldn't find your mirror server at all until not long ago."

"So… all of that—the train station, you abandoning me, everything—that never really happened?"

"Well, it did and it didn't, Haseo. Once I was in your server, I changed what was happening inside. I woke up from my server when… never mind, but it's like awakening your Epitaph, once has to be in a certain frame of mind… I'm sorry, Haseo. I didn't want to hurt you. But… it was the only way. It hurt me as well."

"You don't have to apologize, Endrance," Haseo said softly. "But…you really scared me back there. I'm just… I'm glad to see you again."

"Hey, Zelkova just messaged us," Kuhn said then, interrupting them as he took Atoli's arm. "Endrance, can we go on to the Net Slums?"

Endrance smiled. "Of course. See you soon."

Haseo watched the group disappear through the darkness. "Kuhn and Atoli? Seriously?"

"For quite some time now," Endrance remarked. "Haseo, did you notice something about this World?"

As he said this, he touched Haseo's cheek. Haseo jumped with a start; he felt Endrance's palm as if it were real.

Haseo looked up. "Endrance, you've changed. In a good way. I… I like you this way."

That made Endrance laugh.

"Hey, you're laughing," Haseo pointed out. "And… I know this isn't the real world, but… I'm here with you now," he said. He looked up at Endrance, and sighed, leaning his head into Endrance's shoulder.

"And here you are with me," Endrance answered, wrapping his arms tightly around Haseo. And Haseo knew that this was no illusion. This may have been The World, but this embrace was real.

THE END


End file.
